peanut butter iced banana scones

got a blackened banana sitting in your fruit bowl? sick of making banana bread. or bars?

yea, me too.

which brings me to tuesday evening. last week when i whipped up these pumpkin scones, i had a simple thought - what other fruits and vegetables could i replace the pumpkin with? seemed easy enough. i wanted something simple that could be made all year round, because let's face it, pumpkin only comes around once a year. and who really wants a pumpkin scone in may? not this girl.

so the banana scone was born. perfectly moist. perfectly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.

and oh, the peanut butter. the peanut butter glaze is the best part. don't skip it!

peanut butter iced banana scones
inspired by pumpkin spice scones
30 minutes, makes 16 small scones

for the scones
2 cups flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup (about 1 regular size) mashed, super ripe banana
3 tablespoons half & half
1 egg, beaten

for the peanut butter glaze
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1-2 tablespoons milk

1. preheat oven to 425F and line a sheet pan with parchment or use a silicone baking mat.
2. whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices together in a large bowl. using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is crumbly, similar to really coarse sand.
3. in a separate bowl, whisk the banana, half & half, and egg together.
4. add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until combined.
5. turn the dough out onto a cutting board (it shouldn't be wet enough to stick to the board, but if it does, add a bit of flour). form into a loose ball and flatten into a rectangle about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. cut into quarters and cut each quarter into quarters (for 16 total scones) and place (so they aren't touching each other) on the baking sheet.
6. bake about 10 minutes, until light brown. cool on a wire rack.
7. while the scones cool, make the glaze. whisk the peanut butter and sugar together. slowly add the milk a teaspoon at a time, making sure to blend in each teaspoon before adding more, until it runs off the whisk. drizzle over scones when cool.
   

deep dish apple pancake

i first found this recipe in an old everyday with rachael ray magazine a couple years ago. and every year since i make it at least once, on a saturday morning, when the first apples are finally available.

i like it because i don't have to fumble around making pancakes, worrying if each one will become a burnt mess of a breakfast. sure, you can arrange the apples all nice in the pie plate, but who cares? i like it better all haphazard, apples going every which way, especially when drenched in syrup.

mmm i bet this would be excellent with pears too...

deep dish apple pancake
adapted from rachel ray
30 minutes, serves 4

2 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup pancake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk

1. preheat your oven to 450F.
2. combine the 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. add half to the apples and mix to coat. set aside the remaining half.
3. coat a round pie plate with nonstick spray. add the apples, cover with plastic wrap (try to wrap it so an end of the plastic sticks out, so you can uncover the dish easier when the apples are cooked), and cook in the microwave on high for 5-6 minutes, until soft. be very careful when removing the plastic wrap from the cooked apples. the steam will be super hot, and you will burn your thumb. trust me on this one.
4. while the apples are cooking, combing the 1 tablespoon sugar, pancake mix, eggs, and milk until smooth.
5. when the apples are done, uncover, and add the pancake mix. sprinkle the top with the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.
6. bake uncovered for 10 - 12 minutes, or until light brown. let cool in the pan a couple minutes, or the juices from the apples will run when you slice it. serve with warm maple syrup.

chai (+ mini wedding cake)

a year ago today, i had the most amazing wedding.



the best food. the best friends. the best family.

i married my best friend.



and went to the best party i'll ever go to. ever.



this year was different.

instead of dancing the night away, we hiked through the woods, checking out the fall colors.



and instead of a three tier, lemon soaked raspberry and fudge filled masterpiece




we snacked on our own mini version while watching saturday night live

instead of nibbling on hand passed bites and drinking the night away,

we sipped homemade chai with pancakes and eggs in our pajamas.

and as much as we joke "too bad we can't get married every year", life isn't the party. not the dress. or the flowers. or the cake. or even the music. it's the lazy sunday mornings sharing homemade pancakes with the one you love. and you wouldn't trade it for anything.

chai tea
adapted from joy of cooking
makes 2 small servings, 30 minutes

1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cups milk (use whatever kind you have in your house)
2 tablespoons sugar
8 cardamom pods, crushed
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 inch piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon good quality black tea (or two tea bags)

1. in a medium saucepan, bring the water, milk, sugar, and spices to a boil. cover and let sit 20 minutes.
2. bring the mixture back to a simmer, add the tea, remove from heat, and let steep about 2 minutes. strain and serve hot.

pumpkin spice scones

got some canned pumpkin leftover from one of the other 15974116 pumpkin recipes you've made (or have book marked to make) already? then whip up these scones!

and if you're thinking to yourself "hm, i hope these taste like those scones from that-super-fancy-seattle-based-coffee-shop" then you're wrong. they don't. they're a million times better. soft and super moist with the perfect blend of spices. like the cupcakes, only in breakfast form.

i love a good scone. and for me, the perfect one is thick - at least two inches tall. instead of rolling and cutting with a biscuit cutter, i form the dough into a small and tall circle and then cut into wedges. there's nothing worse than a pancake scone.

pumpkin spice scones
adapted from almost every pumpkin scone recipe i found online
30 minutes, makes 8

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
3 tablespoons half & half
1 egg, beaten

1. preheat oven to 425F and line a sheet pan with parchment or use a silicone baking mat.
2. whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and all spices together in a large bowl. using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is crumbly, similar to really coarse sand.
3. in a separate bowl, whisk the pumpkin, half & half, and egg together.
4. add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until combined.
5. turn the dough out onto a cutting board (it shouldn't be wet enough to stick to the board, but if it does, add a bit of flour). form into a loose ball and flatten into a circle about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. cut into eight wedges and place (so they aren't touching each other) on the baking sheet.
6. bake 12-15 minutes, until light brown. cool on a wire rack. drizzle with spice glaze when cool.

spice glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (a splash) of milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. whisk the sugar and spices together. add the milk 1 teaspoon at a time until thin enough to not completely hold it's shape. drizzle over cooled scones.

creamy tomato soup

now i know for sure it's fall.

friday night, with a million food choices (ok, maybe not a million, but enough) i only wanted a grilled cheese and tomato soup. nothing more or less.

flash forward two days and finally, the perfect fall comfort meal was mine. coupled with a grilled cheese - half gruyere and cheddar, grilled on the foreman for about 3 minutes - it was perfect.

i think i'm going to have to breakdown and buy the america's test kitchen cookbook, because that's where i seem to be ending up a lot lately, and this one is no different. the recipe is a bit unlike other tomato soups i've made - canned tomatoes are roasted in the oven, added to stock and tomato juice, and finished with cream and sherry. the original post by deb at smitten kitchen says to drain the tomatoes and use your hands to remove the seeds. after following this method for half the tomatoes, i gave up trying to get all the seeds out (there really aren't many), and just crushed them with my hands before roasting. i didn't notice the seeds at all, especially since the soup is blended smooth at the end. and like deb, it was perfect without any additional salt or pepper.

creamy tomato soup
adapted from smittenkitchen, who adapted it from the america's test kitchen cookbook
1 hour, serves 4-6

2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes packed in juice, drained, 3 cups juice reserved
1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large shallots, minced
pinch ground allspice
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons dry sherry

1. preheat your oven to 450F. use your hands to break up the tomatoes to release any juice from them. lay the tomatoes in a single layer in a 9 by 13 inch pan. sprinkle with brown sugar and bake about 30 minutes, until the water has been cooked off. remove from the oven and set aside.
2. when the tomatoes have 10 minutes left to roast, saute the shallots and allspice in the butter over medium heat until soft, about 7 minutes. sprinkle flour over the shallots and cook until the flour is browned, about 30 seconds. gradually add the chicken stock, whisking to ensure there aren't any flour lumps. mix in the reserved tomato juice and the roasted tomatoes.
3. bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer about 10 minutes. using an immersion blender or traditional blender, blend the soup until smooth. return to the pan on low heat.
4. add the cream and sherry immediately before serving.